February17, 2009

“Commanders in Afghanistan have been calling
for more troops to meet mission requirements.
Today’s announcement committing additional U.S. troops
in Afghanistan signals that we are restoring American
leadership to the coalition effort to defeat al Qaeda and the
Taliban and to support the Government of Afghanistan. I
hope our NATO allies will take our example to heart and
provide more assistance as well.

“But in addition to our military
contributions, we must also increase the civilian resources
available to improve security and stability in
Afghanistan. This is extremely important. The
military’s role is critical, but we must use all of our
tools – military, diplomatic, economic – to meet
the challenges in this region. I look forward to
working with the administration to chart the path ahead in
Afghanistan.”